NEW ORLEANS — Peja Stojakovic matched a season high with 26 points and the New Orleans Hornets used stifling defense to beat the Denver Nuggets 94-81 on Wednesday night.
Devin Brown added a season-high 18 points for New Orleans, hitting six of his seven shots, including all three 3-pointers. Chris Paul had 12 points and 10 assists.
Kenyon Martin scored 22 points, and J.R. Smith had 20 for Denver, which was 7-of-20 from the field in the final quarter as a slim lead turned into a double-digit deficit.
Trailing 68-65 after three quarters, Denver surged to a 70-68 lead on Smith’s 3 and his floater in the lane.
The would be the Nuggets’ last lead, as James Posey ended an 0-for-10 shooting drought with a dunk after an offensive rebound. That ignited a 14-0 run that included a pair of jumpers by Stojakovic and ended with Paul’s running floater in the lane.
Chauncey Billups finally snapped the run with a fast-break layup, but Brown hit back with his third 3 to make it 85-72 with 4:18 to go. Soon after, Brown used a fake to convert an inside basket as he was fouled, putting New Orleans up 88-74 with 3:14 left. Denver coach George Karl started subbing in his reserves soon after.
Missing center Tyson Chandler and forward David West for a fifth straight game, the Hornets made a point of getting back on defense against a squad averaging nearly 18 fast-break points. Denver was credited with only four points on the break. The Hornets blocked Denver center Chris Andersen twice inside in the fourth quarter, with Sean Marks slapping away a short floater and Hilton Armstrong stuffing a dunk attempt.
Denver, having beaten Memphis 100-85 a night earlier, came in averaging 104.5 points, but finished more than 20 points below that while committing 19 turnovers.
Billups, who scored 29 points against Memphis, finished with 12 against New Orleans. Nene finished with 11 points.
Led by Brown, the Hornets got unusually high production from reserves, outscoring Denver’s reserves 42-13.
Both teams shot 50 percent in an evenly matched first half.
Denver led 39-34 after Nene’s dunk and Smith’s jumper, then New Orleans responded with 10 straight points, including back-to-back 3s by Stojakovic and Brown.
Smith’s driving layup as he was fouled pulled Denver to 44-42, and New Orleans led 46-44 at halftime after Anthony Carter’s layup as time ran out in the second quarter.
Notes: Hornets reserve G Morris Peterson left the game in the
second quarter because of a sprained left foot. He was hurt in a collision under the basket with Andersen. … Martin was called for a technical foul late in the second quarter for arguing with official Mark Ayotte, who called him for a foul on Paul in the backcourt. … Ayotte also whistled Karl and Carter for arguing a backcourt violation called against the Nuggets. Officials went to video review and determined the call was correct. … Opening tip-off was delayed about 15 minutes by the collapse of an adult male fan in court-side seats. The fan appeared to be conscious while being wheeled away on a stretcher, moving his hands to acknowledge claps of support by spectators. … The Hornets wore white-and-red throwback uniforms of the ABA’s New Orleans Buccaneers.
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